The role of the Ministry of Education in early learning

It is the role of the Ministry to oversee and support early learning services, as they empower young children to become:

competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society.

– Te Whāriki: Early Childhood Curriculum

Unlike schooling, it is not compulsory in New Zealand for children to receive early learning education and care. As a result, the Ministry does not administer the sector in the same way it does schools.

This means all early learning service providers operate independently of the Ministry, either as commercial businesses or one of various types of not-for-profit organisations.

There are different types of early learning services operating in New Zealand. Their differences range from the environment in which children learn, to the languages and philosophies that guide that learning.

Funding

The Ministry does, however, work to make early learning accessible to all New Zealand families and whānau. Its primary mechanism for achieving this is through subsidising the sector, to the point of making 20 hours of early learning a week free for all children aged three and over.

Regulating

While services operate independently of the Ministry, the Government requires they meet certain standards that ensure the education, care, health, comfort and safety of the children attending.

It is the role of the Ministry to regulate the sector and ensure it meets these standards. It does this through licensing all services before they are eligible to receive funding, and monitoring them to ensure those standards are maintained.

Guidance

The Ministry supports services to help them navigate the many different regulatory, curricular and funding requirements they must meet. The Ministry is there to guide them all the way from setting up and becoming licensed, to supporting them to provide quality education and care to all young children in New Zealand.